UC_Portolio_Book

62 Admittedly, Ford isn ’ t cutting fiberglass, welding frames and turning wrenches on this car himself: He ’ s serving as a sort of general contractor for the project, which has been carried out in a series of shops -- first in Florida, then nearer to home in Pennsylvania. It has been, to put it lightly, a complicated journey, one that has introduced him to dozens of interesting characters. The grille, for example, is created from aircraft struts made by a Midwestern supplier. “ Looking back, there are all of these things that I coulda - shoulda known, but I really couldn ’ t have until it actually came to settling down and building the car, ” Ford says. One relatively easy choice? The chassis. Unlike the old, salvaged ladder - frame chassis that would have underpinned a vintage SR - 100 project, Hacker and Ford settled on Corvette C3 bones for this build. In addition to the relative affordability, “ I wanted independent rear suspension, ” Ford explains. “ I was still thinking European—that ’ s where my mind was. I wanted a high - revving engine (too). ” Above: Ford spent a lot of time and effort (and money) getting small elements of his Byers SR - 100 just right -- like the taillights.